The sweet treat that keeps for thousands of years

The label on a box of honeycomb recounts the treat's long history

A hieroglyph in Karnak, Egypt, where, in ancient myth, bees were the tears of the sun-god Ra

6:59AM BST 31 Jul 2014

SIR – While enjoying my honeycomb I read on the box that “honey is one of the oldest and purest foods known to man. It has been found in beeswax-sealed pots in the tombs of the pharaohs well over 2,000 years old and still perfectly edible.”

Imagine my disappointment when the “Best Before End” date was 2017, not 4017. Perhaps it had just been on the shelf for a very long time.